Shang Dynasty
by Andi G
Summary: Ever wonder what happens to a friendship that has been tested to the limits - and beyond?


Disclaimer: I do not own Tortall, any of the characters that live in or around it.. blah blah blah. (This means that I don't own anything created by Tamora Peirce)  
  
*bursts into tears* ARE YOU HAPPY NOW????? I CONFESSED!  
  
grins sheepishly  
  
moving on..... :poppycosh: are thoughts,  
  
Poppycosh is um... mind magic thought thingies... yeah... okay!  
  
Here is the story...... dun dun dun!  
  
*******************************************  
  
Danielle had been right.... But only partially. It was vital that the men did not find Emi because she was the mother of Tasha, a person who would play a vital role in the worlds later history.   
  
She looked around, scared. Wondering, "what have I stumbled into?"   
  
She looked around and saw a group of people standing over a large cook fire - large enough to feed about forty people!   
  
"That stew smells so good, it's been days since I've had anything to eat!" she mumbled, quickly forgetting her uneasiness.  
  
"I can tell." Said a low voice behind her, "you're drooling."   
  
Without hesitation the girl spun and kicked, a neat incision to the knees worked wonders and he was down in seconds. She quickly pressed the butt end of her spear to the mans throat and demanded, "Who are you?"  
  
  
  
The man she had pinned looked stunned, probably because she had some fighting skill. Most men expected young women away from the "safety of their homes" to be softhearted blabber-brains! As if!  
  
  
  
'If they want to try that number on me they've got another thing coming' she though fiercely. All who had met her on and off the road had soon learned the error of that particular thought.  
  
  
  
Some of what she had been thinking must have shown on her face because the poor bamboozle that she had pinned started to chuckle. (Must be a slow learner)   
  
Quite a nice laugh actually, deep, throaty chuckle.  
  
:Tarnation! DON'T think things like that! Stupid hormones...:   
  
She heard a branch crack behind her and once again, she whirled about and, agile as a cat sidestepped a foreword thrust.   
  
Without a thought she sent a roundhouse kick smashing into the side of her attacker - or what she thought was the side of her attacker. It turned out the bastard had moved and, like it or not she was now whirling around on her pivot foot as if she was dancing. One good thing of this had come at least. The hoodwink who was chuckling before had finally stopped.   
  
There was bad knews too.  
  
Instead of stopping he'd just started to laugh even harder.   
  
  
  
Wishing that she could stop this pointless spinning she quickly decided that it was worth it to take a small personal injury and teach the fool behind her a lesson, while of course entertaining the growing crowd behind.   
  
Tasha promptly tripped herself and rolled away from the 'noise' to gain stock of the situation she was facing.   
  
  
  
****  
  
  
  
Meanwhile back in the bushes Keido surveyed the scene with an avid interest to see what the girl would do next now that a new 'enemy' had entered into the equation.  
  
  
  
****  
  
  
  
She hit the ground softly and backed up to assess the situation and swore softly.  
  
Tinkerbell over there isn't a problem but the new guy is like a cat, he has to be a master. If I run my reputation will be ruined - and so will my food supply... The crowd probably won't let me through anyway.   
  
  
  
At that point she did the only thing she could do, she very slowly walked up to the Morti'inth Master and made the customary bow of respect and, waited.   
  
  
  
Keido stared in astonishment - how did the girl now that Rameesh was a Master? They'd been in the camp for over a year now and so far only a choice few had been told, much less guessed.   
  
  
  
* ** *  
  
Rameesh meticulously touched first his two eyes, mouth and then the girls head in the perscribed way that a Morti'inth master greats one of the greenhorn order in their ranking system. The Morti'inths were part of the Shang brotherhood but were much more less known than their famed brothers. Quietly urging the girl to stand Rameesh sent her,   
  
Very good kashta, now follow me.  
  
Glancing up, startled, Tasha snuck glances out of her peripheral vision, looking to see where the voice had come from. All she could see was the darn Master.   
  
:do not think of him that way!!!:   
  
Sighing, Tasha followed the man as he led the way through the crowd wondering why the heck she'd ever learned to fight if she was going to go trailing after the first almost-dignified person she met like a lap-dog, hadn't she learned better than that by now?!?!   
  
Picking up her pace so as not to lose her way among the jumble of small tents which were seemingly popping up out of nowhere she sighed inwardly and in answer to her own question thought ruefully,  
  
:I guess not:  
  
* ** *  
  
:Why isn't he beating her to a pulp by now? He wasn't that warm with me when I came in: thought Nik dispassionatly.   
  
:I've been here for almost a year now and what do I have to show for it, I bet--   
  
he never got to finish his thought because at that point he was cut off by the Camp's training master, one they called "First" by custom.   
  
"Nik get up for heavens sake, you look a fool down there in the dirt."   
  
  
  
"Yeah Nik, cat-called one of his so-called 'friends,' "it's bad enough that you let a mere chey-whore beat you!" Nik leapt off the ground angrily, turning to glare in the direction of the offender, "are you trying to tell me something Mattias?"  
  
  
  
"Only that your mother was one so I guess you have a soft spot for the cheyna's don't you?" Mattias shot back heatedly  
  
Not caring whether the First was there or not Nik charged the other boy, throwing anyone and everyone out of his way.  
  
About half way there he ran into a large wall and the last thought he had before blacking out completely was,  
  
:What the heck is that?:  
  
A/N: Feel free to review at your leisure... constructive critisicm is greatly appreciated - so is praise *grins* - but flames are slightly unpleaseant..... SO! Give it your best shot.... Please.. =) 


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